Information processing and touring planning theory

Tourists vary greatly in the extent to which they choose elements of their vacation prior to the commencement of the vacation. For a touring vacation, the extent to which a specific set of locations to visit has been planned prior to departure will vary between individuals. This study presents a structural model of pre-vacation decision-making for a touring vacation. The model demonstrates pre-vacation decision-making as comprising three distinct activities – information search, vacation plans, and vacation bookings – and incorporates characteristics of the vacation and characteristics of the tourist that influence the amounts and types of each of these activities undertaken.